Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument named UN World Heritage site

Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, an underwater preserve encompassing 140,000 square miles of ocean waters and 10 islands and atolls of the northwestern Hawaiian island, has been selected by UNESCO as a UN World Heritage Site.

ByAudrey McAvoy, Associated Press WriterAugust 3, 2010

In this undated photo provided by Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, fish are seen among coral reefs at Pearl and Hermes Atoll. The monument northwest of the main Hawaiian islands has been named a World Heritage site by the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO.

Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument/Louiz Rocha/AP/File )

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Honolulu — The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument — a pristine haven for coral and other marine life, and a treasured site of ancient Hawaiian shrines — has been named a United Nations World Heritage site.

The area northwest of the main Hawaiian islands is the only US location to make the list for both natural and cultural reasons, said monument spokesman Dan Dennison.

The committee aims to identify sites "considered to be of outstanding value to humanity" and encourages their protection and preservation. There are currently about 890 sites around the world on the list.

Papahanaumokuakea consists of remote, mostly uninhabited atolls northwest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the waters surrounding them.

It's home to 69 percent of the coral reefs in US territory. It also hosts 7,000 marine species, a quarter of which are found only in Hawaii. The area is off-limits to fishing, allowing for healthy and abundant populations of sharks, ulua or jackfish, and other marine life.

At Mokumanamana, a rocky outcrop in the monument about 460 miles northwest of Honolulu, ancient heiau, or shrines, line the top of a ridge running along the spine of the island.

There are similar shrines, with upright stones, in the main Hawaiian islands atop the highest peaks of Maui – Haleakala – and of the Big island – Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea volcanoes.

But Mokumanamana has an unusually high concentration of heiau — at least 34 on just 46 acres.

Haunani Apoliona, chairwoman of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, said the listing will help preserve Papahanaumokuakea for future generations.

"We are very proud of this historic inscription," Apoliona said in a statement.

The monument is the nation's single largest conservation area and is nearly 100 times larger than Yosemite National Park.